Government

Meeting Rules of Procedures

The following rules of procedure shall govern the conduct of all meetings of the board of trustees:

Rule 1: Presiding Officer, Voting By: The village president shall preside at all meetings of the village board. He shall not vote on any ordinance, resolution, or motion except:

A. Where the vote of the trustees has resulted in a tie;

B. Where one-half (1/2) of the trustees elected and then holding office have voted in favor of the ordinance, resolution or motion even though there is no tie vote.

C. Where a vote greater than a majority of the corporate authorities is required by state statute or local ordinance to adopt an ordinance, resolution or motion. (Ord. 98-11, 9-14-1998)

Nothing in this section shall deprive an acting president or president pro tem from voting in his/her capacity as trustee, but the village president shall not be entitled to another vote in his capacity as acting president or president pro tem. (Ord. 98-11, 9-14-1998; amd. Ord. 04-04, 02-23-2004)

Rule 2: The village president shall decide all questions of order.

Rule 3: A trustee discussing a question or issue shall address the village president and no trustee has the floor until recognized by the village president.

Rule 4: The passage of all ordinances for whatever purpose and if any resolution or motion to create any liability against the village or for the expenditure or appropriation of funds shall require the concurrence of a majority of all members then holding office on the village board including the village president unless otherwise expressly provided by state statute or municipal ordinance. A roll call vote of yeas and nays shall be taken and recorded in the journal of proceedings for all ordinances or resolutions or for any other proposition coming before the board which creates any liability against or obligation on the part of the village or for the expenditure or appropriation of its money and in every instance where a request therefor is made by any trustee. Motions and other matters coming before the board unless there is a specific request for a roll call vote may be handled by voice vote. The village president shall determine the outcome of all voice votes. (Ord. 98-11, 9-14-1998)

Rule 5: All resolutions submitted to the board of trustees shall be reduced in writing before being voted upon, on request of any member of the board.

Rule 6: Robert's Rules Of Order: "Robert's Rules Of Order" shall govern the deliberations of the board of trustees except when in conflict with any of the foregoing rules.

Rule 7: Suspension Of Rules: The rules of order, other than those prescribed by statute, may be suspended at any time by the consent of a majority of the members present at any meeting. (1969 Code § 30.220; amd. Ord. 04-04, 2-23-2004)

Rule 8: Official Recording Of Open Meetings:

A. Audiotaping: All open meetings of the village board of trustees shall be audiotaped.

B. Videotaping: Effective January 1, 2005, or sooner if practicable, all regular village board meetings shall be videotaped in a form suitable for broadcast over the village's local cable access channel. Nothing in this section precludes the videotaping of additional meetings of the village board of trustees.

Rule 9: Rules Regarding Nonofficial Recording Of Public Meetings By Tape, Film Or Other Means:

A. Definitions:

1. Audience are those persons who attend a public meeting but not a member of the public body holding the meeting, nor an employee of the village attending the meeting in an official capacity.

2. Chairperson is the person who officiates over the meeting. The village president is the chairperson of the meetings of the village board of trustees.

3. Public meeting is a meeting of a public body of the village of Morton Grove as defined by the Illinois open meetings act, 5 Illinois Compiled Statutes 120 et seq. as amended from time to time.

4. Public body consists of the elected and appointed board, committee or commission members holding a public meeting and village employees assisting said members.

5. Recording is a nonofficial duplication of sound or image by any mechanical means including photography, audiotaping or videography.

6. Special accommodations include special or additional seating, lighting, designated space for microphones or recording equipment, access to electrical power, and accommodations necessary or desirable for the recording of a public meeting.

7. Witness is a person who gives sworn statements before the public body.

B. Policy: It is the village's policy to cooperate with representatives of the print and broadcast media and with other members of the public who wish to record public meetings of the board by tape, film or other means, so long as said recordings are not disruptive to the meeting, and do not violate the rights of the members of the public body, witnesses and the public.

C. Rules Of Procedure:

1. Any person may record the proceedings of a public meeting by tape, film or other means subject to the following rules.

2. Meetings which are closed to the public may not be recorded except as required and authorized by the open meetings act.

3. No recordings shall be allowed unless the person seeking to record a public meeting notifies the village administrator of his or her intent to record said meeting prior to the meeting. Further any requests for special accommodations must be made at least two (2) business days before the meeting.

4. The chairperson may in his or her sole discretion grant any special accommodation requests.

5. The chairperson may designate a location for recording equipment, restrict the movements of individuals who are using the recording equipment or take other steps that are deemed necessary to preserve the decorum of the meeting and facilitate the conduct of business.

6. At the start of any meeting which is to be recorded, the chairperson shall notify the audience and any witness of the recording and advise all witnesses of their right to refuse to testify during any recording.

7. If a witness refuses to testify on the grounds that he may not be compelled to testify if any portion of his testimony is to be broadcast or televised or if motion pictures are to be taken of him while he is testifying, the chairperson shall prohibit such recording during the testimony of the witness.

8. The chairperson may prohibit the recording of any audience member who objects to the recording.

9. The chairperson may impose additional rules or limitations on any recording, as he or she deem necessary or appropriate to preserve the orderly operation and decorum of the meeting.

10. The chairperson shall order the immediate termination of any recording which is disruptive to the meeting, or which distracts, disturbs or is offensive to members of the public body, witnesses, or the audience.

11. No recording shall be used for a commercial for profit enterprise, without the written approval of the chairperson and the village administrator.

12. Nothing in these rules shall be deemed to grant permission to publish or broadcast the recording of any individual.

13. These rules may be modified on a temporary basis for good cause shown by a majority vote of the voting member public body. (Ord. 04-04, 2-23-2004)